Process of producing plastic patterns of irregular outlines



Sept. 26, 1950 F. c. scHuE-LER PRocEss oF PRoDucING PLASTIC PATTERNS 0FIRREGULAR OUTLINES Filed June 5, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheetv 1 Sept. 26, 1950F. c. scHuELER PRocEss oF PRonUcING PLASTIC 0F' IRREG ULAR OUTLINE FiledJune 5, 1946 PATTERNS S 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 26, 1950 Filed June 5,1946 SCHUELER F. C. PROCESS 0F PRODUCING PLASTIC PATTERNS 0F IRREGULAROUTLINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 26, `1950 Fred C. Schueler,Fulton, N. Y., assigner to The Schueler Engineering Co., a partnershipApplication June 5, 1946, serial No. 674,618

Y 6 Claims. n y V.1, This invention is a process for continuouslyproducing patternsof irregular outline of plastic in place of the usualmethod of taking a sheet of a nished plastic and cutting patterns fromit. c It might properly be'V called a process of print- (cris-p' rollwhich has a series or depressions such as are used in gravure printingor on raised ,type or its counterpart, these designs preferably beingcon- Vnected one with the other so that they vextend ing plasticpatterns or casting flat VVplastic patterns of irregular outlines.

My purpose is to do away with the present processes of cuttingfrom asheet the different irregular shaped pattern parts of ysuch things asraincoats, clothing of other types, and any other articles made of thinsheets of plastic, usually of a waterproof type, and it maybe used notonly to form the patterns but in some cases to attach the patternstogether so as to form a complete garment. Sheet plastics are now4 madeor cast by picking up a thin film of the plastic ofthe desiredconsistency and of uniform-width on'a roll or otherconveyor, sometimesusing'means-to make it of the same thickness everywhere, andthencarrying this along and so treating it that it will become less fluidand finally so curing it, either by heat treatrnent,V evaporationv or insome, other way, that it can be handled as a sheet or'as part of a rollof uniform width and of an indefinite length. i .f f

The advantages of my invention arefthat instead of forming a web ofconstant Width, then unrolling, cutting off sections, laying them `flat,and cutting or dieing out ,the desired patterns of .irregular outlineon-the edges, mine is a continuous process which takes the place 'of allthe :above operations and therefor is much faster, saves labor and notonly saves waste but produces 'fa predetermined pattern of irregularoutline with no waste whatever. v

By irregular outline I mean as distinguished :from a sheet with parallelsides.

treating oven which sets the plastic so that it can be removed from theconveyor'maintaining the shape of the pattern on the printing roll.

I provide a plasticv of the necessary consistency and then pick it up,preferablyon an applicator entirely around the applicator roll and ofirregular outline on their edge-s.

Whether the roto-gravure, intaglio-or cut in pattern method is used orthe raised type pattern method, when the plastic is picked up andcarried along, it may or may not be smoothed down or its thicknessregulated as by doctor bladescr insome other way.

l nd it very convenient to lay out the starting pattern 'of the designon the printing, design carrying or applicator roll distorted andelongated as compared to the desired pattern and toA then remove ittherefrom to a moving surface,

such as a conveyor, which is movingat a sur- A y; flowable liquid isproducedby placing it on a nonabsorbing surface, the Vedges are notstraight planes as when a pattern, islcut', but are rounded as theinternal stresses of vthe lowable plastic must produce such a result. Y

It isremoved from this applicator roll and carried onto a beltconveyorusually of the'endless type where it is so treated as by heatrorotherwise thatitloses any tendency to flow and from there it is carriedthrough an oven or setting device which sets it and makes it toughenough to be handled and used.

The connected patterns of Whatever shape is desired can then be cutapart or they can be` rolled up in a helical form for shipment or theycan be carried along and joined with other suitable patterns to beconnected together thus forming a more or less complete garment.

In other words, the back of a garment can be cast or formed by myyprimary method and thev edges may then, with certain types ofplastics'be fastened together by heat, or they may be fastened bystitching or in many other ways.Y

' In carrying out my process of casting shaped; patterns, each of asubstantially uniform thick-` ness, I may use several different machinesand,

modifications which are shown in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

As the word applicator roll is used in theplastic industry to indicate aroll which picks up a lm of uniform width and thickness, I will useprinting roll for a similar roll but one on which there are designs ofirregular outline on their edges.

By this I mean that the edges of the body of the design and of the bodyof the pattern picked up by and carried by the design are of irregularoutline or more generally are not straight parallel lines.

All the drawings are substantially diagrammatic as they show my processcarried out on known types of printing or casting machines, the parts ofwhich are arranged or rearranged for my particular process. Forclearness, in Figs. 2 and 5, the line of connected patterns P isindicated by a line of dashes to prevent it from being merged with theconveyor.

Eig. 1 is a diagrammatic planiview and Fig. 2, a diagrammatic sideelevation showing one arrangement of printing roll with intaglio or cutin designs associated with a conveyor of the endless type.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing a ductor, applicator andprinting roll with raised or bas relief designs delivering formedpatterns to'an endless conveyor of paper.

Fig. 3A is an isometric View of a section of a printing roll with arecessed or intaglio design cut into it, and indicating a pattern asformed on the design.

Fig. 3B is an isometric view similar to Fig. 3A but showing a printingroll with a raised or bas relief design and with a pattern deposited onthe raised design.

` Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modification in which asingle chemicalsetting bath is used.

Fig. 5 is'a side elevation showing two chemical setting baths.

Fig. 6 is a detail of a set of nished patterns the "members of which areconnected by strips which'can be cut 01T before using the actual desiredpattern. y

In the diagrammatic drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 show atypical and preferredmechanism for carrying out myprocess of casting, printing or lpro'-ducing flat plastic patterns -of irregular outline. f

In the drawings, A Yrepresents what I will call an applicator orprinting roll around the surface ofV which there are formed repetitionsof the design D for a pattern P which it is desired to produce.

`AsA shown in Fig. 1, these patterns lP and the corresponding designs Dare connected and extend continuously around roll A, although they mightbe connected by short strips 50 as shown in Fig. 6 or they might not beconnected.

represents one of the driving rolls for an endless conveyor belt B whichpreferably is guided and to some extent supported by the idler r'olls 2|and 22. This conveyor belt B runs through what I call an evaporatingoven E and from thence through what I will call a fusing oven F.Conveyor B may be of metal.

C is a coating pan which is kept supplied as by a pipe 23 with a fluid,liquid, or flowable plastic Hsuch for instance as Vinylitef "Figs. l and2 show the use of a printing roll A with an intaglio or cut in design D.As shown, the suitable flowable plastic H is deposited in the recesseddesigns Il and whatever is caught on the -smooth surface Aof -roll -A-is removed by roll G and returned or retained in the coating pan C. Thisroll G helps to spread the plastic evenly in the depression Il andserves the purpose of a doctor or ductor roll.

To transfer the patterns P carried by design D on roll A for curing, Ishow an endless conveyor belt B which is carried by rolls such as 20 sothat the face of B is in contact with the face of roll A but is movingat the point of contact in a different direction, the result of which isthat, in a well known manner to form a lm with straight parallel edges,the connected patterns P are picked olf or transferred from roll A tobelt B. The adjoining curve faces of design roll A and of belt B may bein actual contact along certain proximate or adjoiningl lines or incontact at some design segments and not at spaces between them or viceversa or merely in close proximity so as to Wipe, cast or peel thepattern on the design from the roll to the conveyor belt. Belt B passesthrough and also carries these connected patterns P through theevaporating oven E where, with this type of plastic the soluble orvolatile part is removed and passes out as through a vapor outlet 24.Conveyor B continues to Vtravel with the pattern P and passes throughthe fusing oven F where the plastic patterns P, P, are set. Theconnected plastic patterns P are now of such a consistency that theycanbe removed from the conveyor.

In this particular type I may use a thermo-- plastic plastic of thevinyl-resin plastic type such as the polystyrenes and polychloroprenesand a copolymerization of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate such asVinylite. I will call these generally vinyl-plastics.

I may use in a flowable condition any of the heat setting resins, whichare usually referred to as thermo-setting plastics and others of thethermo-plastic types and may also use other plastics such as thoserknownas solution coatings or dispersion coatings where there is a more orless solid material in a liquid solution.

Any such flowable material when transferred from the printing roll tothe conveyor as a design of irregular outline will have edges which arerounded and are not flat planes.

With the Vinylite I use in the evaporating oven a temperature of 250 to275 degrees Fahrenheit and from 375 degrees Fahrenheit upward for Lfusing.

I preferably use an evaporating oven to stiifen a owable plastic -of thevinyl class which contains a volatile solvent as specified above and afusing oven for a nal setting to make the pat- C tern produced pliableand of a consistency to be removed, handled and bodily transported.

As shown, rolls A and G both engage the suitable plastic -H and are soadjusted that their curved faces are in such close contact that only thecut in designs Dior patterns P on roll A take up the plastic H.

It will be vnoted that rolls A, G, and 20, as shown, are all running ina clockwise direction so that their vlines of contact are running inopposite directions as this is the best way to form a plastic film,whether it is of the usual type with parallel edgesV or of my patterncasting designs.

In Fig. r3 and Fig. 3B, I show another arrangement which is especiallyuseful with a printing roll such as P with a raised design such as I2.To spread a thin layer of a suitable flowable plastic of the yrightthickness on the face of a design D on a raised part I2, I nd itisdesirable t0 use a doctor blade or knife such as 5 in connection with a'ductor roll fl,--th'e face of Awhich is in 5.; contact .with the face'of .a plastic carrier roll 2. In this case roll .2 revolves in asuitable coating pan I4 containing the nowableplastic I5 and picks up acertain amountwhich is spread. and evenedV by the ductor roll I.Preferably by the means of the doctor knife 5, any material which clingsto the roll I after it spreads an even layer of smooth lm 9 on roll 2 isremoved so that the contacting face of roll I with roll 2 is alwaysclean and free.

The roll I through the medium of suitable belts and pulleys indicated by6 is driven at a much slower surface speed than roll 2 and printing ordesign `roll 3 should be driven at a much slower surface'speed than rolli and conveyor I if an elongated design R of the starting vpatternisused. I nd a ratio of 3 to 1 in length cfa design such as D to a finalpatternsuch as P andof the surface speed of roll 2 to the` surfacespeedof a conveyor such as It isconvenient.

i. Roll 3 is shown as. having raised pattern designs .I2 of the desiredform which project from its face, inlcontact withcarrier roll 2. As'theadjoining contact faces move in opposite directions roll 3 or rather thedesign I2 thereon removes only that part 'l of the film whichcorresponds with such pattern design I2 thus forming` a pattern P. Therest I3 of lrn 9 continues on roll 2 and is merged with the rest of theplastic I5 in the coating pan IG in which applicator roll 2 revolves.

The next roll is marked 4 and as shown, in-

stead of carryingan endlessV conveyor, conveys a furnace such as F orthe conveyor may travelover heated rolls such as I6 and II for a partialand a complete setting.

As shown in Fig. 4, a conveyor of the continuous type or of the type I0,which might be of sheet metal, may carry suitable plastic patternsalong, over or through devices such as shown in Figs. land 2 but itmight pass through ,a chemifcalbatn II or through two baths II and I2,as shown in Fig. 5, whereby the films are rstset or hardened and thenmade into what might be called a exible plastic or in other words, aplastic which is tough and bendable and suitable for such articles ascloth or garments as distinguished from the hard thermo-setting plasticsor heat setting plastics such as aresuitable for a number of otherpurposes. l A

In the specification and claims the word design is intended to indicatethe picture of the appearance of an article and this is further limitedas by the word silhouette to distinguish from a line picture ormulticolored picture. The

word pattern, particularly iinal pattern,`

means and is a bodily transportable lm of plastic, particularly of thevinyl class, of irregular outline or perimeter as distinguished from onewith parallel sides and as distinguished from a superficial design orpicture imposed on a backing.

I claim: v

l. The process of producing flat thin patterns of irregular outline offlexible plastic material, which consists of spreading a thinlayer of aowable plastic on a design which' is formedon a printing roll in theform of a starting pattern the edges of the body of which are ofirregular `outline which is in velongation of the desired patmaterialsospread and formed on such a print` ing. roll to a conveyor which ismoving at a surface speed substantially as much slower than that of theprinting roll as the ratio of the length of the elongated startingdesignis to that of the desired final pattern, which conveyor carries such pattern to and past means for setting the plastic material of thefinal pattern until it is of a consistency to be removed from theconveyor, and of then so removing it. p

2. The process of producing at thin patterns of irregular outline ofexible plastic material, which consists of spreading a layer of aflowable plastic on a design which is formed on a printing roll in theform of a starting pattern the edges of the body `of which are ofirregular outline which is in elongation of the desired pattern, oftransferring the startinglpattern of vsuch material so'spread vandformed on sucha printing roll to a conveyor which is moving` at a slowersurface speed than that of the printing roll, which con@ veyor carriessuch pattern toand past means for Vsetting'the plastic material of thefinal pattern until itis of a consistency to be'removed from theconveyor, and of then so removing it.

3. The process of producing nal predetermined' flat thin patterns theedges of the body of which are of irregular outline of flexible plasticmaterial, which consists of spreading a thin layer of a flowable plasticona design which is formed on a printing roll in the form of a distortedstarting pattern of irregular outline which is in elongation of thedesired pattern, of transferring the starting pattern of such materialso spread andV design ,is to that of the desired final pattern, g

, which conveyorcarries such pattern to vand past means for setting theplastic material of the final predetermined pattern until it is ofa'consistency to be removed from the conveyor, and of then s0 removingit.

4. The process of producing nal predetermined fiat thin connectedpatterns the edgesof the body of `which areof irregular outline offlexible plastic material of uniform thickness and edges ofV 'irregular'outline, which consists of spreading a thin layer of a fiowable plasticon a design whichl is formed on a printing roll in the form of avolistorted starting pattern of irregular outline which is in elongationof the desired pattern, of transferring the starting pattern of Vsuchmaterial so spread and formed on such a printing roll to a conveyorwhich is moving at a surface speed substantially as much slower thanthat ofthe printing roll as the ratio of the length of the elongatedstarting design is to that of thedesired iinal pattern, which conveyorcarries such pattern to and past means for setting ltl'ie'plasticmaterial of the nal predetermined pattern until it is of a consistencyto be removed from the conveyor, and of then so removing it.

l5. The process of producing final predetermined flat thin patterns theedges of the body of which are of irregular outline of exible plasticmaterial of uniform thickness and edges of irregular outline, whichconsists of spreading a thin layer of a owable plastic on a design whichis formed as a raised design on a printing roll in the form of adistorted starting pattern of irregular outline which is in elongationof the desired pattern, of transferring the starting pattern of suchmaterial. sovspreadxand formed on sucnaprinting roll tda conveyor whichismoving at a'suriacespeed' substantially asl much slower than that ofthel printing roll as the ratio of. the lengthy of the elongatedstartingrdesign istothat of the desired' final pattern, whichy conveyorvcarries suchY pattern` to and past meansv for setting the' plastic`material. of the nal predetermined pattern.

6'. The processof producingnal predetermined iiat` thin patterns ofirregularoutline of flexible` design` isA to that of the desired finalpattern andv g4 proximate. the surface ofthe printing, roll in the?opposite directions to such. proximate surface', so. that the conveyorcarries such predetermined but thickened plastic patternl to and pastmeansfor` setting the plastic material of the nal predetermined pattern.

FRED C. SCHUELER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Iile` of'this patent: l

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 995,652 Baj June20, 19111,401,965 Crowell Jan. 3, 1922l 1,583,484 Morrison et al May 4, 19261,905,061 Sax' Apr. 25, 1933i 2,001,389 Kratz May 14, 1935- 2,()20,68'7Kinsella Nov. 12, 1935v 2,039,229 Krutz Apr. 28, 1936 2,193,899 Casto etal. Mar. 19, 1940 2391,619 DoolittleY Dec. 25, 1945-v

